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Raj Thackeray

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Raj Thackeray
President of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 March 2006 (2006-03-09)
Personal details
Born
Swararaj Shrikant Thackeray[1][2]

(1968-06-14) 14 June 1968 (age 56)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Political partyMaharashtra Navnirman Sena (2006–present)
Other political
affiliations		Shiv Sena (before 2006)
SpouseSharmila Thackeray
ChildrenAmit Thackeray
Urvashi Thackeray
ParentKunda Thackeray Shrikant Thackeray
RelativesThackeray family
Residence(s)Shivaji Park, Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Alma mater
ProfessionPolitician, Cartoonist, orator

Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: [ɾaːd͡ʒ ʈʰaːkɾeː], born Swararaj Shrikant Thackeray; 14 June 1968) is an Indian politician and the founding chairperson of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party. He is the nephew of ShivSena Founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

Early life

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Raj Thackeray's given name is a hypocorism of Swararaj.[citation needed] His parents were Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray). As a child he learnt tabla, guitar and violin.[1] Thackeray is a 10th standard graduate and a dropout of Mumbai's Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art.[3] He finished 10th standard in 1983 and joined Marmik, the weekly magazine of Bal Thackeray, as a cartoonist in 1985.[4][1][non-primary source needed]

Political career

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Early years in Shiv Sena

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Thackeray started his political career by launching the student wing of Shiv Sena called Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena. He came to prominence during the campaign for 1990 Maharashtra assembly elections. During the 1990s, Raj believed himself to be heir of his uncle, Balasaheb. However, Balasaheb showed strong preference for his own son, Uddhav Thackeray.[5]

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

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Years after being sidelined by Bal Thackeray's other leaders working for him, Raj Thackeray resigned from Shiv Sena on 27 November 2005 and announced his intention to start a new political party. On 9 March 2006 in Mumbai, Thackeray founded Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Controversies

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2008 Anti-North Indian campaign

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Main article: 2008 attacks on Uttar Pradeshi and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra

In February 2008, Raj Thackeray led a violent movement [6] against migrants from the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Maharashtra and more so in its commercial capital, Mumbai.[7] At a rally in Shivaji Park, Raj warned that if the dadagiri (intimidating dominance) of these people (North Indians) in Mumbai and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis.[8] Raj was arrested along with a Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi, but was released on paying a penalty of ₹15,000 (US$180).

Australian ban

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His party, along with Shiv Sena banned Australian cricketers participating in IPL 3 from playing in Mumbai as a protest against the attack on Indian students in Australia.[9]

Business signboards in Marathi

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In July 2008, Raj issued a public warning that shops in Mumbai needed to have Marathi signboards in addition to the existing English signboards. He warned that after one month, MNS workers would start blackening non-Marathi signboards. While there had been a law passed for this earlier by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it had not been enforced.[10] In September 2008, MNS workers attacked shops and blackened signboards, to enforce the demand, after which most shop owners complied and installed Marathi signboards. Six MNS workers were arrested but later released on bail.[11]

Jaya Bachchan

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Jaya Bachchan, actor and MP of Samajwadi Party, during the music launch of the Hindi film Drona, said, "हम यूपी के लोग हैं, इसलिए हिन्दी में बात करेंगे, महाराष्ट्र के लोग मा'फ़ कीजिए।" [ISO: Hama Yūpī Kē Lōga Haiṃ, Isaliē Hindī Mēṃ Bāta Karēṃgē, Mahārāṣṭra Kē Lōga Mā'af Kījiē.] (We are people of UP (Uttar Pradesh), so we will speak in Hindi. People of Maharashtra, please excuse).[12] Thackeray commented that she had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres featuring films affiliated to her. It was only after Amitabh tendered an apology that the screening resumed.[13] Following Raj's threat, Maharashtra Police acted against Raj, issuing a gag order preventing him from speaking to the media.[14]

Jet airways staff reinstatement

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In October 2008, Jet Airways laid off 800 temporary workers and announced layoffs of an additional 1100 workers. The laid-off workers included Marathi as well as North-Indians. Thackeray was asked to intervene. Following this, Raj Thackeray declared that most of these workers had paid security deposits to the company, and he would meet Jet management to plead their case. Unless Jet Airways cancelled the layoffs, his party would not allow any Jet Airways plane to take off from any airport in Maharashtra.[15] Within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray's declaration, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal reversed the layoffs and reinstated the sacked employees. He said that he did it on his own and that there was no political pressure on him.[16][17]

Wake Up Sid Controversy

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On 2 October 2009, MNS workers disrupted the screening of the film Wake Up Sid on its release in a few Pune and Mumbai theatres, after Raj objected to references in the movie to "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". The city of Mumbai was referred to as "Bombay" in many scenes[18] and in some songs (lyrics by Javed Akhtar). The film's producer, Karan Johar, visited Raj's residence to apologise, and agreed to all of Raj's terms, including an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film.[19]

Telecom Services in Marathi

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Telecom companies in Maharashtra had been providing customer service in English & Hindi only. Raj demanded that all telecom companies operating in Maharashtra start providing the service in Marathi also and set a deadline of 27 February 2010, after which his party MNS would launch an agitation. Following this demand, all telecom companies complied, introducing Marathi as an additional option in their customer service.[20]

Merger of Belgaum in Maharastra

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In December 2011, Raj Thackeray meeting a group from MES (Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti) advised them that they should revisit their stand of merging Belgaum with Maharashtra in the interest of Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. In a major departure from the earlier held stand of traditional right-wing groups of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray pointed out that a practical approach rather than an emotional one is the need of the hour. However, he advocated that if the Supreme Court of India itself gives a decision in favour of Belgaum's merger, he would welcome it but the local situation in Belgaum should not be vitiated for the sake of it. He asked the MES leaders to first identify the real issue as to whether Marathis in Belgaum are being targeted for espousing the cause of Marathi language or because they were supporting the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra. Lamenting that strikes and bandhs only add to the misery of the Marathi-speaking community in Belgaum, Thackeray said: "If the Karnataka government is ready to respect the Marathi people, their culture and language, then there is nothing wrong in Belgaum being there."[21] His comments were strongly criticised by his cousin Uddhav as a cruel joke on the Marathi people.[22]

Views

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Raj Thackeray and his party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, state that Maharashtra State, Marathi language and Marathi Manoos are subverted by the influence of Marathi politicians.[23] He has opposed migration into Maharashtra from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.[24]

Raj reproached North Indian leaders for politicising Chhath Puja, a festival popular in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand calling it a "drama" and a "show of numerical strength". He stated that the Chhath Puja was a political gimmick by some parties to attract the north Indian vote.[25] A petition was filed in the Patna civil court on 8 February against him for his remarks.[26] His statements were criticised from political leaders, especially those from the North Indian states.[25] He accused migrants of swamping Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state, in search of jobs.[27] The MNS chief also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. In 2008, expressing his stance on new migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".[28]

Thackeray and his party have been criticised for use of violence during their agitations, especially directed towards immigrants from UP and Bihar. On use of violence, Thackeray says that violence is a part of all agitations in Indian politics, and there are several cases of much more violence carried out by other parties and organisations. According to him, the incidents of violence involving members of his party have been unduly highlighted by North Indian politicians and journalists.[24]

Thackeray had initially praised former Chief Minister of Gujarat and incumbent Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi for his governance, and the development of Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister.[29] He had also expressed support for Modi for the post of Prime Minister for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.[30] Although later on, he regretted his support for Modi and since then has been a vocal critic of him and the NDA government. For the 2019 elections to the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, did not contest any seats, and instead Thackeray urged the party supporters to vote for the NCP–Congress alliance, with Thackeray campaigning for candidates belonging to these parties.[31] However, during the 2024 elections, Thackeray changed his stance and reaffirmed his support for Narendra Modi and the NDA, after dismal governance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, the divisive politics played by INDI Alliance, and citing the NDA's work from on removing article 370, criminalizing triple talaq, construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and the COVID-19 vaccination in India.[32]

Thackeray-led MNS criticised the centre's move to award the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, to Adnan Sami, claiming that Sami was not an original Indian citizen.[33]

While appearing on primetime TV show Aap Ki Adalat in April 2014, Thackeray targeted several political leaders on various matters. He criticized Ajit Pawar for his comment on urinating into a dam when asked about resolving water crisis, and heavily slammed Samajwadi Party leaders Abu Azmi and Mulayam Singh Yadav for their anti-women views after making insensitive comments about rape.[34]

Thackeray called for a ban on loudspeakers in Masjid. [35]

Personal life

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Thackeray is married to Sharmila Wagh, daughter of Marathi cinema photographer, producer-director Mohan Wagh. They got married on 11 December 1990 in Mumbai.[36] They have a son, Amit Thackeray and a daughter, Urvashi Thackeray. His children attended the Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, a school established by christian missionaries from Scotland.[37][38][39]

See also

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  • Zenda, 2010 Marathi-language film

References

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  1. ^ a b c MNS official website Archived 17 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 2011.
  2. ^ "Raj Thackeray". Business Standard India. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  3. ^ "The return of Raj". Hindustan Times. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXiTId0Hn0I&ab_channel=AtharvaSudame
  5. ^ ऑनलाइन, लोकमत. "...तर उद्धव ठाकरे ५ वर्षांसाठी मुख्यमंत्री झाले असते; देवेंद्र फडणवीसांनी मांडलं समीकरण". Lokmat. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Raj says violence is legit, slams BJP leaders". IBN Politics. CNN-IBN. 24 February 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  7. ^ Agencies (24 October 2008). "Murder case filed against Raj Thackeray in Bihar". Express India. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Raj Thackeray dares Maharashtra govt on north Indians' stand". NDTV. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2009. Addressing a crowded public meeting at Shivaji Park in central Bombay, the place where his uncle and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray addresses his annual Dussehra rallies, Raj warned if the dadagiri of north Indians in Bombay and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis.
  9. ^ NDTV India/ New Delhi 22 July 2005 (14 January 2010). "Shiv Sena targets Australians in IPL". NDTV India. Retrieved 4 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Rao, Shashank (16 February 2009). "Big Marathi signboards not necessary". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  11. ^ "Marathi signboards issue: 'Is this a murder trial?'". Indianexpress. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  12. ^ "rediff.com: Jaya Bachchan's controversial clip". Specials.rediff.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Khaleej Times Online". Khaleejtimes.com. 16 October 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  14. ^ "Gag order issued against Raj Thackeray". The Economic Times. 8 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Raj Thakre Helps Jet Airways Staff". YouTube. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2010.[dead YouTube link]
  16. ^ "Jet airways Employees vow Raj Thakre for jobs". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  17. ^ "Jet barred us from meeting Raj Thackeray: Crew". news.outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  18. ^ "Front Page News: Wednesday, July 28, 2010". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  19. ^ "Wake Up Sid in trouble: Rediff.com Movies". Movies.rediff.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  20. ^ Anthony, Bobby (18 February 2010). "Cellular companies to have Marathi voice assistance". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  21. ^ "Let Belgaum be with Karnataka: Raj Thackeray – Mumbai – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  22. ^ "Uddhav Thackeray runs to President, urges her to make Belgaum Union territory – Mumbai – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  23. ^ MNS official website Archived 24 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 2011.
  24. ^ a b "Do political movements need to obey the law? What about Advani rath yatra, Modi’s Godhra outrage?" Archived 28 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine ExpressIndia.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011
  25. ^ a b "Jaya takes on Raj; MNS, SP activists clash in Mumbai". The Hindu. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  26. ^ "Petition against Raj Thackeray in Patna court". Zee News. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  27. ^ "Right-wing Mumbai leader arrested". BBC News. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  28. ^ "Respect Marathi ban-manoos or leave Mumbai". Rediff. 9 February 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  29. ^ NDTV.com (3 August 2011). "Narendra Modi gives Raj Thackeray 'State Guest' status". Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  30. ^ NDTV.com (3 August 2011). "Raj Thackeray pitches Modi for PM, uncle furious". Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  31. ^ PTI (11 April 2019). "Dhananjay Munde, Raj Thackeray in demand to campaign for Congress in Maharashtra". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Raj Thackeray promises support to Modi for 'five years', lists expectations for third term".
  33. ^ PTI (26 January 2020). "Raj Thackeray's MNS opposes Padma Shri to Pak-born Adnan Sami". The Economic Times. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  34. ^ "Raj Thackeray in Aap Ki Adalat (Full Episode) - India TV". YouTube.
  35. ^ "Raj Thackeray urges people to report use of loudspeakers in mosques".
  36. ^ "Raj Thackeray Birthday : वयाचे अंतर ते बाळासाहेबांच्या मित्राची मुलगी, अशी आहे राज आणि शर्मिला ठाकरे यांनी 'लव्ह स्टोरी'". Loksatta (in Marathi). 14 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Mumbai Scottish just doesn't sound nice". DNA. No. 12 May 2008. Diligent Media Corporation, an Essel Group company. 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  38. ^ "Now, miscreants target Thackeray kids' school". Times of India. No. 12 May 2008. Times of India. 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  39. ^ "From wife Sharmila to daughter-in-law Mitali Bourde, know all about Raj Thackeray's family tree". Times Now. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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